Alford happy at Iowa

April 03, 2006

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Following speculation he might leave Iowa to coach Indiana or Missouri, Steve Alford said he's happy to be with the Hawkeyes. "The bottom line is, I never interviewed anywhere," Alford told The Des Moines Register in a copyright story while he was in Indianapolis for the Final Four. "And it should be a pretty good indicator of how happy I am and what I think we can (accomplish)." His comments Saturday were the first time he's spoken publicly about being mentioned as a possible replacement for Mike Davis at Indiana or Quin Snyder at Missouri after both coaches resigned this season. Alford's Hawkeyes finished 25-9, went 17-0 at home and won the Big Ten Conference tournament title while their coach was fending off questions about going back to his alma mater to lead the Hoosiers. A week after Iowa lost to Northwestern State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, Missouri officials contacted Iowa Athletics Director Bob Bowlsby and asked to talk with Alford about their coaching vacancy. Alford then issued a statement saying he hadn't scheduled any job interviews, but many fans felt he wasn't clear about whether he would discuss or consider potential openings. Alford said Saturday that much of the speculation came from outside sources. "I can't control that," he said. "That doesn't mean your coach is leaving. I never talked to anyone in an official capacity at Missouri or Indiana." He did say, however, that his agent spoke with a person representing Missouri. The Tigers hired former Alabama-Birmingham coach Mike Anderson last week. The speculation on Alford leaving Iowa began when Davis announced in February he would step down at Indiana when the Hoosiers ended their season. "Indiana went about it a little different in how they did their search," Alford said. "I never got a phone call. I was never contacted." Indiana eventually named Oklahoma's Kelvin Sampson as coach. Alford, a former Indiana high school star and Hoosier All-American, was touted by some as a coach who could unite the school's fans and reconnect the program with its storied past. "Obviously there's a lot of attention because it's my alma mater ... they wanted to go a different direction and get away from the IU thing," Alford said. Next on the agenda is meeting with Bowlsby about a possible contract extension. His current deal runs through 2009 and pays him $800,000 annually. Alford's relationship with Iowa fans also is a work in progress. The success the Hawkeyes had this season won over some skeptics, but the past two months tested their patience. "If you're going to be at this level, you're never going to please everyone," Alford said. "But we're the only staff that's had six straight winning seasons in the history of the school, and this is our second-winningest season ever. It's our best home season ever. There's a lot of positive things."